Cardanol Constituents from Technical Cashew Nutshell Liquid: Chemical Characterization and Effect of Unsaturation on Their Biological Activities

Abstract

Cardanol, a valuable natural product, is derived from cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a byproduct of the cashew nut processing industry. It consists of a mixture of alkylphenols with a fifteen-carbon side chain and varying degrees of unsaturation. This study focuses on the isolation, characterization, and biological evaluation of polyunsaturated cardanol derivatives. The compounds were purified using chromatographic techniques and structurally analyzed through infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, with detailed spectroscopic profiles provided for each. All three cardanol derivatives demonstrated antioxidant activity, as evidenced by their DPPH radical scavenging ability. Furthermore, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations revealed their preferential binding modes within the active and peripheral anionic sites of acetylcholinesterase, offering insights into their potential inhibitory mechanisms. These findings highlight cardanol’s promising bioactivity, paving the way for further exploration in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications

Keywords: Cardanol, Spectroscopy, Antioxidant, Docking